1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to machines for automatic processing documents, in particular checks, and, more specifically, relates to machines for processing of documents which are assigned a priority of treatment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many automatic document processing machines. In particular, all the major banks are now using machines for the automatic processing of checks. A machine of this kind has a magazine in which checks are stacked before being extracte from it one-by-one by a suitable mechanism and fed to successive processing stations. The stations are normally connected together by guide tracks which are adapted to transport the checks from one processing station to the next.
A typical arrangement and machines for processing documents are described and illustrated in copending application Ser. No. 075,228 of Lucien Prieur and Patrick Pinard, filed Sept. 13, 1979 and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
It may happen that, while the machine is operating, it is desired to insert another check into the machine for priority treatment. It is then necessary to stop the machine, open the supply magazine, move back the stack of checks yet to be processed and slip the extra check in front of the stack, that is to say, place it in the immediate proximity of the extractor mechanism. Such an operation takes time and is not without its dangers since, if the extra check is mispositioned, there is a danger that this will cause it to be incorrectly transferred to the first, adjacent processing station or to the guide track leading to this processing station. This usually means that the check is crumpled as it enters the processing station or the guide track, and may cause a jam.